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The Perfect Strength and Recovery Strategy

You might be surprised to learn that more protein isn't the ultimate solution.

As an athlete, you know that protein is important—not only for energy, but for physical growth and repair. It seems logical to think that more is better. But this simply isn’t the case.

Athletes don’t need more protein, they need more amino acids

The body requires access to a total of 22 different amino acids, whichplay a role in its ability to produce energy and maintain optimum physical function. Eight of the 22 amino acids are defined as ‘essential’ because they are not manufactured by the body; they must be derived from dietary proteins and/or an essential amino acid supplement....

Without an adequate supply of essential amino acids, the body cannot build muscle, develop stamina or recover well from strenuous, physical activity. About 75% of all athletes are deficient in at least one essential amino acid and, as a result, fail to recover quickly or completely.

Amino acids are the building blocks of protein.

And every type of dietary protein contains a different blend of amino acids. It is commonly believed that one protein source is just as effective as another when it comes to supplying the body with the resulting amino acids it needs.

But all proteins are not created equal.

Some have a higher ‘biological value’ than others; they have a better balance of the eight essentials the athlete needs. Organic grass-fed meats, wild fish, poultry and whole eggs are good examples of high biological value proteins.

Other foods have a lower biological value; they contain a less than optimal mix of the eight essential amino acids and are more difficult for the body to use. Examples of these are whey, casein, soy beans, nuts and egg whites.

What about all those pricey, ‘high-tech’ whey, soy and casein-based powders and bars? Despite all the sales hype, they are wasteful and ineffective. Only 18% of their protein content is actually utilized by the body.

Opting to eat high biological value proteins is a great place to start, but it probably won’t be enough. Not everyone can fully digest them due to an insufficient supply of stomach acids or digestive enzymes, both of which decline with the stress of training and racing—and with age.

As a result, it makes sense for anyone interested in improving their performance and well-being to supplement their diet with a balanced essential amino acid formula that does not require digestion and can be directly utilized by the body for growth and recovery.

Just as all proteins are not created equal, neither are all essential amino acid supplements.

Most contain artificial flavors, colors, preservatives and non-nutritive fillers. And the exact ratio of amino acids contained in each formula may vary, too. TheFundAminos essential amino acid formula is completely natural and filler-free. This ‘gold-standard’ formula offers a unique blend of the eight essential amino acids, is 100% utilized by the body and four times more effective than protein powders when it comes to building and repairing the body!

Don’t let optimal recovery to hold you back.

Use FundAminos for one months and you’ll see the difference. We promise!

This post is longer than usual, but I wanted to cover an important topic that I have probably not given enough attention.

When it comes to sports nutrition, most people know they need protein. But few know why. When asked, the majority will say that they need it “for energy.” And while our bodies do derive energy from protein, this is NOT the primary reason we need it.

Protein is the foundation on which our bodies are built. In fact, there are more than 50,000 different proteins found in the human body. When assembled properly, these proteins form our organs, bones, tendons, ligaments, blood, several hormones (including insulin and human growth hormone), our immune system, our neurotransmitters, and all of the enzymes of metabolism, digestion, and detoxification.

Amino acids are molecules made of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and sometimes sulfur. In total, there are 22 different amino acids our bodies use to make protein. These 22 amino acids are much like the letters of an alphabet. And proteins are the "words" they spell. Only 8 of these proteins are “essential,” however; they must be derived from our diets because our bodies cannot make them. The essential amino acids function like the vowels of an alphabet. You can’t spell many words without vowels, nor can you make many proteins without essential amino acids.

Our human nature can be fickle. On the one hand, we don’t like change; but on the other, we're always on the lookout for the latest and greatest thing.

While my goal is to provide you with information on the foundational importance of the core, four nutrients (omega 3 fatty acids, vitamin D3, antioxidants and micronutrients), I find myself facing an ongoing battle against the far-more-savvy supplement marketers who know that a new story--true or not--will prompt a switch from what's tried and true to what's new.

Here's just one example of deceptive marketing from the pharmaceutical world:

In 2010, the FDA approved a sleep medication branded as Silenor based on studies which showed it effectively helped some people fall and stay asleep with relatively few side effects. At $199.00 for 30 pills, it's expensive. That's no surprise; we all know that most prescription medications are overpriced. But this one has an even darker side.

It turns out that Silenor is the brand name given to an antidepressant called doxepin, which has been on the market for more than 50 years. The dose of doxepin needed to support sleep is 6mg; the dose of doxepin as an antidepressant is 150mg. While 30 pills of Silenor (doxepin 6mg) costs $199.00, 30 pills of doxepim (150mg) costs $30.00. Do the math and you'll see that Silenor is 96 times more expensive--and profitable--than doxepin. If you're interested in the full story, you can read more here.

Antioxidants work by protecting your cells from damaging molecules called free radicals, which are produced in the body as a natural by-product of metabolism. Just as metal rusts and a slice of apple browns in the presence of oxygen, free radical damage triggers changes in the structure of otherwise healthy cells; they are an underlying cause of many chronic diseases and aging.

Since the creation of free radicals is a natural process occurring continuously in the body, a steady supply of antioxidants are required to neutralize free radical damage. While the body is capable of producing some of its own antioxidants, it requires an additional supply that can only be obtained from food and/or dietary supplements. Maintaining a high antioxidant level becomes even more critical as we get older because the body’s ability to manufacture its own antioxidants declines with age.

Antioxidants are naturally found in large amounts in plants. The origin of all plant life is the sea. When species of marine plants began adapting to life on land, they also began to produce non-marine antioxidants such as ascorbic acid (Vitamin C), polyphenols and tocopherols. In order to further protect themselves from their own need to utilize the oxygen in the air around them, plants became pigmented. Pigmentation acts as a chemical defense against the free radical damage resulting from photosynthesis.

One of our prime directives at Core 4 Nutrition is to educate people on the power of whole-food supplement support. If you are still taking a synthetic multivitamin, I hope this post will inspire you to do things differently.

When evaluating multivitamin formulas, it’s important to know that the quality of one product’s ingredients can vary greatly from another's. The inexpensive, mass-marketed one-a-days, for example, contain minimal amounts of synthetic nutrients—just enough to meet the government’s RDA or recommended daily allowance of nutrients necessary for preventing disease (but not nearly enough for promoting health). Their more expensive, designer-label counterparts often contain larger quantities of hundreds of different vitamins and minerals, all of them are synthetic and difficult for the body to use.

Don’t waste your hard-earned money on products that don’t work. Learn the basics before you buy. Start by becoming more familiar with the three most common types of multivitamin formulas available:

1.Combinations of isolated supplements. These formulas contain ingredients that are artificially produced in a lab. In fact, many of them contain ingredients derived from crushed rocks and petrochemical by-products. Read the label and you’ll see an ingredient list with names like calcium carbonite and thiamine mononitrate—synthetic chemicals which can be identified by their two-part name. As explained previously, the amount of these pseudo nutrients can range from a little to a lot. But regardless of their dosage, they simply aren't well-utilized by the human body.